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It’s all about making a decision, according to Adams, the decision to do the work and pay the price. He informs the reader that it’s easy to make wishes, but with wishes there will never be action. Action, according to Adams, only comes after deciding. Once one decides that they want, they will begin to take action to make their wishes a reality.

Scott explains that every wish has a price associated with it. When we are unwilling to pay the price for the wish, it stays in our head, merely a wish. However, when we decide that we are willing to pay the price of our wish then we take action to bring our wish out of our head and into the world.

Examples-

Wishes/Wants:

Wishing I had a million dollars. / Working diligently in an industry with a high salary… or robbing banks.

Wishing I were fit. / Going to the gym every day and eating healthy.

Wishing to be more social. / Going out with friends/family/co-workers or joining clubs or other groups.

How it relates to people like us:

People like us tend to have many wishes; we need to do a better job at making those wishes reality. We must decide to pay the price for the wishes that will help us improve our lives. Separate the wishes that you really want to achieve and the ones that you don’t care to put the work into. Once you’ve done that, make a plan on how to achieve your wants and put your plans into action.

In this section of the book Adams talks about his view that setting goals usually doesn’t work out well, and that developing systems (that move one’s life forward) has a proven record of success.

Scott defines a goal as ” a specific objective that you either achieve or don’t sometime in the future”, and a system as “something you do on a regular basis that increases your odds… in the long run”.

Adams suggests that more often than not goals are a losing proposition and that when one is diligent in running their system, they will reach their desired objective… and beyond!

Examples-

Goals/Systems:

Losing 20 pounds / Eating healthy and getting regular exercise

Winning a running race / Training diligently

Making a lot of money / Becoming a serial entrepreneur

The author admits that the concept of goal Vs systems is largely semantics, but it’s the shift in mindsets that’s important.

How it relates to people like us:

People like us that are attempting to recover from depression, anxiety, or any other life stifling conditions are often trying to improve our situations through goal setting. Whether our goals are; to get out more, get fit, be more social, ect…

I’d say that it’s easy enough (OK, not so easy at all) to get out and take a walk… once. Or to put on exercise gear and do some calisthenics… once. Or to get worked up and make yourself do that ‘thing’… once.

It’s always been more better in my life to set up a routine (read: system) that ends up being a series of steps that lead me to my objective. My quick example would be leaving the house and going to the supermarket.

Play my “leaving the house” playlist

Have smoke

Wash up

Get dressed

Grab my bag (if needed)

Socks and shoes

Ear buds in

Walk out the door

I do all the steps, every time. That’s my system. When I work my system I get caught up in the steps and my mind is distracted from the (sometimes overwhelming) objective. Basically, I get swept up in the current of my system.

Daily (or even morning) routines are another example of a system. When you set up a good routine you will take almost all of the decision making out of the equation, freeing your mind to focus on the task at hand, and achieve your objectives.